Conducting cross-cultural research qualitatively in social science: setting the scene

Abstract

Globally, cross-cultural research has become increasingly essential. In multicultural societies such as the UK, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, there has been an increasing number of people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Meeting the needs of our multicultural society requires a cultural awareness of the diversity and commonality of people’s beliefs and practices. The need for culturally competent social and health care requires knowledge of the social and cultural contexts of the people and this can be obtained by research, and particularly the qualitative approach (Smith, 2008, 2021; Liamputtong, 2010, 2020; Atherton et al., 2020). Many researchers have started to conduct projects with vulnerable and marginalized people in a cross-cultural context. But it is crucial that the researchers ensure that their research is conducted ethically and that they take into account the cultural integrity of the participants. With these considerations in place, their research may not harm but benefit local people who take part in it (Cram, 2009, 2019; Liamputtong, 2010, 2020; Atherton et al., 2020; Broesch et al., 2020; Chilisa, 2020; Gromkowska-Melosik, 2021; Smith, 2021; see chapters 9 and 10 in this volume).

Despite the increased demands on cross-cultural research, discussions on “culturally sensitive methodologies” are still largely neglected in the literature on research methods including qualitative research. As a result, researchers who are working within socially responsible research in cross-cultural settings often confront many challenges with very little information on how to deal with these difficulties. Conducting cross-cultural research is rife with ethical and methodological challenges (Hennink, 2008; Liamputtong, 2010; Atherton et al., 2020; Broesch et al., 2020; Sposato & Jeffrey, 2020; Gromkowska-Melosik, 2021). This book is born out of this necessity. In this chapter, I shall discuss the essence of qualitative research in cross-cultural research. I shall then discuss some ethical issues and cross-cultural research as well as some theoretical standpoints that I believe sit neatly within the framework of cross-cultural research. The last two parts will be dedicated to the positionality of researchers and language issues in cross-cultural research.